Three ships from the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force, as the Japanese navy is called, docked in San Francisco on Sunday and allowed the public to come on board for tours on Monday. We decided to take a quick trip into San Francisco and see the ships in person. The weather was perfect and we enjoyed getting the chance to see the ships up close. The crew was very welcoming and got a kick out of us greeting them with “Konichiwa”. That’s the extent of my Japanese pretty much, but they enjoyed it.

The Russian guided missile cruiser Varyag is also in port, but were not offering tours until Thursday. We might go back just so we can take a closer look at that one, too.